Horsehide Honchos, continued...

Brian Claypool loves softball so much he married his star catcher. He looked at her glossy .358 batting average and her flossy .984 fielding percentage as a senior and fell head-over-heels.

In 2003, Claypool landed his first head coaching job at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, formerly known as North Adams State. That season he garnered Coach of the Year honors in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The Trailblazers were led by a 5-foot-2-inch dynamo named Courtney Tebo, a soccer and softball standout at Douglas (Mass.) High.

The following season, Tebo was selected as the MASCAC Player of the Year. Her coach was duly impressed. In 2005, Claypool took a step up the career ladder, coaching Hartwick College, just up the road from Cooperstown in New York. Things were looking up. His Pittsburg Steelers were marching toward the Super Bowl and Brian was courting Tebo.

“For Super Bowl Sunday, Courtney arranged a surprise 30th birthday party for me and invited family and friends. Actually, I was turning 29, but any excuse for a party works,” quips Claypool.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl. Overjoyed Brian proposed to Tebo on the spot. And the rest is history.

Now Claypool will direct the fortunes of the Lady Crusaders—with a little help from his bride. Courtney Tebo Claypool will serve as a volunteer aide-de-camp when she isn’t working as a special needs teacher at a nearby Sutton (Mass.) day care.

How did Claypool wend his way to Worcester from the College of Wooster in Ohio, where he received his degree in 1999? He took an interesting and tough path and hit more than a few bumps.

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A strapping 6-foot-1-inch, 203-pounder, Claypool was a Western Pennsylvania all-star as a slugging first baseman for Kiski Area High School just outside Pittsburgh. An only child, he grew up in Leechburg as an avid fan of the Pirates, Penguins and Steelers—and as an admirer of ballbashers such as Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire.

His hitting prowess, especially in American Legion ball, drew admiration. A coach from the College of Wooster spotted him at a clinic and convinced him he would play right away for the Division III title contender and receive a great education. His parents, Cliff and Linda Claypool, liked the fact that Wooster was a reasonable drive from their home

The college had a lineup of sluggers. In 1997, Wooster walloped 104 dingers in 52 games, including 17 in one doubleheader. The Fightin’ Scots finished second in the NCAA tournament. During Claypool’s senior year, sidelined with a back injury, he volunteered to help the school’s upstart softball team. There, Claypool caught the softball bug.

After graduating, he spent a year counseling in an Akron, Ohio, juvenile offenders’ program. Claypool, however, missed playing and coaching. He knew he wanted to do something that involved sports. The psychology major enrolled at Springfield (Mass.) College to work toward a master’s degree in sports psychology and to coach softball as a graduate assistant.

His hard work and desire should not be minimized. Claypool helped coach a team that went 38-10 and won the ECAC championship; he taught as a physical education instructor; and he lectured in athletic counseling. In the summertime, Claypool did an internship at Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Florida, learning the guru’s techniques of performance enhancement. Later, while coaching up in North Adams, he would work at the local YMCA and do some bouncing at a Williamstown bar. Anything to survive while pursuing his dreams.

His plans hit a sudden snag. Claypool appeared to be turning the Hartwick College softball program around. Due to financial strains, however, in May 2006, the college pulled the plug on softball and seven other sports. Claypool and his bride decided to marry and settle in the Worcester area, where they also played co-ed softball. Brian worked as a Verizon Wireless sales rep while searching for another coaching opportunity. Last season, he volunteered to lend a hand in coaching the Lady Crusaders.

Ann Ash Zelesky, associate athletic director, notes she had a chance to observe Claypool coach. A Massachusetts living legend as schoolgirl softball and basketball coach, Zelesky has a keen eye for talent. When a head softball job opened up, Claypool emerged as the candidate of choice.

In the fall, he began coaching in earnest. Claypool told his players that they had not reached their potential.

“We have to change our mindset,” he says. “We will use performance-enhancement tools—videotapes, visualization, whatever it takes. I am addicted to challenges and believe we will improve quickly. We will broaden our recruiting. When prospects tour Holy Cross, they are blown away.’’

Hopefully, the winds are shifting up on Pakachoag and so, too, are the fortunes of baseball and softball.

John W. Gearan ’65, was an award-winning reporter and columnist at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for 36 years. He resides in Woonsocket, R.I., with his wife, Karen Maguire, and their daughter, Molly.